Before we proceed:  this post will spoil for all episodes of Lost prior to the finale and including the sneak peeks and hints provided in cast interviews.  Consider yourself warned and click back to escape now.

Are we ready?

4 8 15 16 23 42 …. EXECUTE!

Being as I will not be able to watch the finale until 24 hours later, I’m about to plug my ears, literal and online.  But before I do, here are some predictions for the finale of one of the most innovative and addictive series of all time.

1.  Who’s going to die out of the four core Losties?

I know the Vegas peeps are betting high that at LEAST one of Jack, Kate, Swayer and Hurley ending up dead tonight.  I say all of them are going to die…  in one universe or another.

See, one of the key things Jacob has told us, and has been repeated, is that, “It only ends once; the rest is progress.”  Currently, two timelines need to exist, in order to progress towards the final ending of the story.  Eventually one must be obliterated – and that timeline is the island universe, three years ahead of the flash sideways.

Why?  Because first of all, nobody wants an unhappy ending.  I don’t want a perfect sunshine and kittens ending, but let’s face it:  Libby and Hurley are my OTP, and if they don’t freaking get to stay together this time, Imma cut a bitch.  However, will everyone die in the same timeline?  No.  And this brings me to my next assumption…

2.  Everyone gets a happy ending in Sideways land – except Jack (Jackob? LOL)

Jack, our Jacob 2.0, must protect the light on the island to prevent the entire world from dying… or so we’re to believe.  Let’s assume that Jacob isn’t deceiving Jack on this (some are wagering Jacob is the real bad guy; I’ll have something to say about that shortly), and he must stay to preserve the order of things and the new timeline, where Oceanic 815 never crashed.  What if the reason Jack has to stay is that his memory of how the timeline was shifted (ie, blowing up Jughead) is necessary?  Then Jack must stay with the Light, guarding it with his memory. 

Notice that while Jack in Sideways world has been mysteriously bleeding where Island Jack has wounds, yet no one else is.  This suggests that only Jack cannot stay in sideways land.  All cast interviews have indicated the ending is beautiful and fitting, and everyone is pleased; there’s no way they would call mass death beautiful.  Thus, most people must live on somehow, likely happily.  Kate’s character is apparently ‘very redeemed’ in the finale, which either suggests Island Kate sacrifices herself to save Island Jack, or Sideways Kate is a decent person and genuinely innocent. 

My guess is that at the concert, all the Losties will be there, and upon reunion, Jack will finally have his realization moment – and promptly die. 

Random extra guess:  Due to an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), either she or a dying Jack will repeat her final words in Sawyer’s arms.

3.  The way to undo Jacob’s mistake is to kill Locke’s body and set him free to crossover into the afterlife, thereby leaving the island, which has become like a purgatory.

This is where Desmond comes in, kids:  Desmond will drag Flocke/Man In Black into that room where they tested his ability to survive the electromagnetic energy, and ‘shock’ Man In Black and Locke’s body apart.  Somehow, the energy will also separate Smokey and its destructive energy from Man In Black and let him go, at last.   Jacob never meant to be a bad guy, per se; he made a mistake.  He was flawed – and now he can be redeemed.

4.  Walt returns in the finale – as an Island vision.  It is he who enables Desmond to trap Flocke.

Flocke dies in this episode; that’s been confirmed.  Early reviewers have suggested it’s surprising who does it.  It couldbe Kate or Hurley, sure, but since Walt appeared to Locke at the end of season 3, I think it would be kind of cool for him to tell him that his work is finished.  This is a “wild and crazy and likely untrue” guess.

5.  Juliet is Jack’s baby mama in Sideways universe.  Juliet and Sawyer meet and couple, while Kate and Jack are together as he dies.

Lots of people are guessing Juliet for the baby mama.  She is definitely going to be back, so it’s a safe bet.  Kate’s choice of romantic partner in the end satisfied some early reviewers, “but it may make a large group unhappy.”  I personally like Suliet way better, so here’s hoping.

6.  Shannon and Boone are there. 

As much as I hate Shannon, it would be nice for everyone to be back – even if Shannon didn’t board 815 in Sideways land.

7.  Eloise has been playing all along to ensure that Sideways universe survives, and in fact, has known all along, long before Jughead blew, that everything had to happen to undo her greatest pain: killing Daniel.

Eloise has been described as a temporal time cop by the creators, and although she often seems to know the future, I think she only knows what has already happened, and therefore, isn’t really predicting anything.  She’s just helping things be course corrected.  Notice that in Sideways land, she and Charles are still together; they likely broke up because of her shooting her future son.

8.  Richard isn’t dead – yet – but he will definitely be dead when things end.  Perhaps Jack can release from immortality, if Jacob’s death doesn’t do so?

Richard’s too awesome to have gone out like that.

9.  Vincent will be key to something in the finale.

Because he is awesome, duh!

Let the madness (and grief) begin.  Oh, Lost; I will miss you so much.